X-ATI Guy

Friday, January 20, 2006

My apologies...

...for the lack of content recently. I've been locked in a Prayer Room. No, actually, I took the emails to heart -- the ones telling me "you need to get a life" and sort of got busy. Perhaps I can start posting bitter rants again, now that I'm listening to heavy rock music and can't control myself.

Be sure to check out the folks at Independent Spirits (excuse me while I take a sip of my own independent spirits) where a lot of good discussion is happening.

5 Comments:

Anonymous said...: Ah, X-er, by now you should know ya' gotta keep feeding the monster.; 6:53 AM
Rainey Daye said...: Hey...just found this site about two weeks ago and have enjoyed reading the posts. I am an ex-ATI girl whose family joined in 1988 and is still in the program, so I remember the old days (think Bloomington, IN training conference, EXCEL III, and having to wear navy bows with our white blouses and navy skirts) and yet have also gotten exposed to some of the new stuff (think Big Sandy training conference, Eternal Impact, and girls actually wearing flip-flops to a training seminar)!!
Since I grew up on the mission field and was out of the country a lot, plus a lack of money for opportunities when we were in the States...my family was (is) not very ATI...two of my brothers and I actually even went to and graduated from college and one of my sisters will be heading off to college this next fall.
Anyway, I love the balance on here between the "ATI was crap" and the "bright shining eyes" camps!! Had gotten a bit worried that there had not been any new content introduced on this blog in a while. Glad to see that the blog is continuing.
I'm a missionary in Romania (no connection AT ALL with ATI) and have stayed up several very late nights (since finally getting internet at my apartment last week) reading the posts on here. Keep up the good work!!; 3:46 PM
Anonymous said...: AH, I have found my home at last!! People of like mind!

I was a Gothardite if there ever was one, and imagine what a major dissapointment I am that I didn't marry an ATI'er, and (gasp), married someone not even a believer! Yes, I went to the"Deep End" as they called it - I simply questioned the whole institution that I so comfortably lived in.
Now, eleven years later, I actually have a real relationship with GOD - the actual real JESUS - and not some idea of principles.
OH! and joy, joy, joy, I think my eyes are actually "radiant" again ;); 10:29 AM
Anonymous said...: my sister got wrapped up in all this business and developed an unnatural dedication to ATI because family life was screwy for her.

The truth is that the truth is far more elusive and far less concrete than the diehards at ATI will have you believe. What if somebody wanted to challenge christian beliefs much less gothard's interpretation of christianity?? all this bullsh*t about light in the eyes and the "thankfulness" rhetoric regurgitated over and over demonstrates that dissent is not tolerated. that means you need to stop asking challenging, penetrating questions.

I reacted to ATI very strongly when it began imposing itself onto my adolescence. Fortunately I escaped and went on to university studies, but my sister was not so fortunate. Only just now does the cloud haze appear to be lifting from her eyes.; 3:35 AM
Anonymous said...: even many of the comments i see on this blog are rather sophomoric. you're going on about listening to rock and alcoholic beverages because ATI stole your natural development. you're supposed to go out there and fuck up and process the world rationally rather than living in a bubble. there's no doubt that many (most?) of the influences in the world are bad, but that's what happens when organisms compete for limited resources in life. the greatest influence that provides life direction are your parents -- not gothard. regardless of your upbringing, secular public education or homeschooling + ati, you will become your parents in the limit unless you take active steps to prevent it.; 3:55 AM